At 6:00 a.m. this morning the sun had risen, the air was cool, clear, and the only sounds I could hear were the tree squirrels arguing their territory. Sounds tranquil; it was.
But there were no clouds.
The gray impenetrable ceiling of overcast day after day...a regular thing in these parts...that doesn't count as clouds. When I think of clouds my mind sees a Fiji horizon, where the clouds, like a fleet of sailing ships are steered by warm prevailing winds.
Sunshine is good, and today we are having lot of it; too much for some folks. On the lake, old men are fishing...it's been fished out by now but that doesn't matter...the young are churning the surface to a foam with their personal water crafts (I miss mine; not too old, just too much back ache).
But I was talking about clouds.
Just a few clouds would be a good thing. White, not too large, alto cumulus, drifting by, momentarily casting a happy shadow. So I began wondering about heaven and whether or not there would be clouds. Of course there would be no storm clouds; probably no lenticular clouds like those that form over Mount Ranier. Black clouds? No. Fleets of puffy white clouds sailing the horizon? I hope so.
The Bible talks about clouds in Revelation and Hebrews that I know of. There may be other places that clouds are mentioned, but I don't know where they are. This morning I was reading in Hebrews chapters 11 and 12. Here is what it says, starting at 11:27:
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented--of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all of these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I want to see Jesus come in the clouds (of angels), I want to meet each of that cloud of witnesses...and perhaps there will be clouds. Wouldn't that be just like God to do something like that?
Blessings. e.c.
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